Kerala to appoint women to drive government vehicles for the first time ever
In a well-thought and laudable decision by the government of Kerala, women will now be allowed to drive government buses and other public sector vehicles. In the first of its kind decisions, the chief minister of the state, Mr. Pinarayi Vijayan, debarred the laws laid down under the State Road Corporation, which said that women weren’t allowed to apply for the driver posts in government or any other public sector establishment.
“Directions have given to all government departments and PSUs to make the driver post gender neutral. This has been done in accordance with the state government’s policy on gender equality. This will benefit many women,” he said after the announcement.
Finance Minister T.M. Thomas Isaac said that the decision marks the fall of another “male bastion”.
Many women organizations, such as All India Democratic Women’s Association and Mahila Congress, have also contributed in bringing this much needed change. They have asked the government, over and over, to life the ban, and finally, it was lifted.
The women are already driving private buses, registered taxis, ambulances, and auto rickshaws in the state with the highest literacy rate in India (no wonder). However, the ratio of women drivers as compared to men is quite low. For instance, out of 400 auto rickshaw walas, there are only 25 women. After the lifting of ban, it is expected that the ratio will improve, if not balanced.
As per Ministry of Road Transport and Highways 2018, the percentage of women-held commercial license is almost nil, or closes to 1 percent.
Clearly, this sector will no longer be dominated by men, and women will start to have equal opportunity as well. This certainly is a positive change in our country.
To encourage more women drivers, Kerala’s Social Justice Department also launched She-Taxi, driven and used by women, in 2013. Apart from She-Taxi, an all-women vehicle service called She-Auto was launched in Kerala and Andhra Pradesh, and the response was epic! Not only that, Maharashtra has lowered the price of the driving permits for women. The price is cut to be the half of the normal price.
There has surely been an increase in women bus drivers and auto drivers in the last few years. The overall count of women participating in driving business in 2018 was 40,000, which has now risen to more than 60,000. Now, this is progress!
The wise decision is expected to be implemented in two or three months. The rule will be first amended under the law and then, the recruitment will start taking place.
